[CFB] CFB Buyouts Look Huge, But Schools Rarely Pay Full Price

[Mickey the Mouth]

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Massive coaching buyouts dominated 2025 headlines, yet schools like Penn State and LSU paid far less than sticker price through settlements, offset clauses and restructured deals. James Franklin's record-breaking Penn State buyout shrank to $9 million before Virginia Tech hired him, while Brian Kelly collected his full $54 million from LSU only after a legal fight and a CBS Sports analyst gig. Creative contract language around duty to mitigate is making it harder for fired coaches to game the system.

Source: CBS Sports - written by Mickey the Mouth from the original report.